Nothin' but Net: So who will go into the Hall of Fame?

Philadelphia, PA (Sports Network) - After Chris Bosh rather recklessly claimed
last week he was absolutely a Hall of Famer ("Hell, yeah, of course."), who
else will be enshrined in one day?

Hall of Fame debates rage in the blood of sports fans.

I've seen beer mugs sail over my head about baseball Hall of Famers'
candidacies. I've battled an acquaintance literally into the wee hours of the
morning about the candidacy of James Worthy.

One man's or woman's criteria for admittance into immortality varies from
another's. There's no formula to plug in and say, "Pack your bags for
Springfield."

In honor of Mr. Bosh, let's examine the cases of who will be getting into the
Hall of Fame upon retirement.

Two rules to remember, one the Hall's and one is mine: First, The Naismith
Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame is all-encompassing. College careers matter
as does international and Olympic experience.

My rule - this debate will be waged under the guideline that a player, or
coach, or executive will be judged if he walked away from the sport tomorrow.

And one more thing you should know about me - I'm harsh when it comes to Hall
of Fame judgment. I have an eye test and if you pass, you're good with me. I
don't dig too deeply into statistical data unless I'm torn.

Also, the worst phrase in sports is "first-ballot Hall of Famer." Either you
are a Hall of Famer, or you're not. Numbers don't improve after retirement and
deeming someone unworthy of first-year entrance when their eligibility is met
is ludicrous.

So, let the beer mug throwing begin ...

MORTAL LOCKS

If you don't know why these players are guaranteed Hall of Famers, I deem you
unworthy of finishing this column.

KOBE BRYANT

TIM DUNCAN

KEVIN GARNETT

STEVE NASH

DIRK NOWITZKI

LEBRON JAMES

JASON KIDD

PAUL PIERCE

RAY ALLEN

GREGG POPOVICH

That is it in my mind for locks. The next group will clarify things better,
but these are the only people who would get in no questions asked if they
retired in the morning.

VIRTUAL LOCKS

TONY PARKER

MANU GINOBILI

CARMELO ANTHONY

DWYANE WADE

These guys all have pretty impressive qualifications, but something is just
missing from making them no-doubt-about-it guys. Remember in the case of
Ginobili, international play is part of the vote.

TOO YOUNG BUT HEADING TOWARD LOCK STATUS

KEVIN DURANT

CHRIS PAUL

DWIGHT HOWARD

DERRICK ROSE

Hard to argue the first three in my opinion, but consider this with Rose: every
MVP winner has been elected.

NOW THE FUN DEBATES (These all required some statistical information since I
was torn.)

CHRIS BOSH

Since his comments were the impetus for the column, we'll examine his career
first. Bosh's career averages of 19.7 ppg and 9.0 rpg are Hall worthy. Factor
in his scoring went down once he joined the Heat and became the third wheel,
and it's still strong. Bosh made his eighth All-Star team and counting. Plus,
he now has an NBA Championship on the books. But Bosh has made one All-NBA
team, a second-team nod after the 2006-07 campaign, and that was the only
season he finished in the top 10 in MVP voting. That was a seventh. Do those
last two numbers show an indispensable member of the league? I don't think so.
Third bananas get into the Hall of Fame, just look at Robert Parish and James
Worthy, but Bosh needs more. He'll have to make 10 All-Star teams and win a
few titles before he gets my vote.

VINCE CARTER

Scorers have a place in the Hall of Fame. Look at Dominique Wilkins. The
question is, was Carter a dominant-enough scorer to take his team to a
different level? Carter never played in an NBA Finals. In his prime, Carter
averaged close to 25 ppg. That's a big number and his career average is still
over 20 ppg despite playing a bench role or playing for lousy teams late in
his career. Carter made eight straight All-Star games, finished in the top 10
once for MVP (10th in 1999-2000 season) and made two All-NBA teams, but never
a first. He's just short in my mind.

GRANT HILL

Scoff if you will, but remember, this includes college careers. Hill was
spectacular at Duke, starting all four years, winning two titles and losing in
the championship game his senior season. As a pro, Hill was incredible in his
first six years, all healthy ones and all in Detroit. He averaged 21.5 ppg,
7.7 rpg (including two years over nine a game), 6.2 apg and 1.6 spg. Those are
crazy numbers. Then the ankle and foot injuries piled up and Hill was never
the same, although they came close to 20 ppg in a full 2004-05 season for the
Orlando Magic. You shouldn't ever consider what his career would have been had
the injury not occurred, but it's hard not to with Hill. He made the All-Star
team seven times, all deservedly, not some fan voting nonsense, made the All-
NBA first or second team five times and finished in the top 10 five straight
seasons. Late in his Orlando career and during his Phoenix Suns tenure, Hill
was a respectable player, although nothing near his Pistons days. The college
career is enough to sway me. Hill would get my vote.

PAU GASOL

Gasol was the NBA Rookie of the Year in 2001-02. He has made four All-Star
teams, three All-NBA teams, picked up two rings, but never factored in an MVP
race. The Spaniard's career averages are 18.4 ppg, 9.2 rpg and 1.7 bpg. That's
stout. Being a decorated European league star and two-time silver medalist in
the Olympics, while outplaying some Americans during those two games is enough
for my vote.

AMARE STOUDEMIRE

Knew it would happen and Stoudemire was the guy whose career I undervalued.
Stoudemire has made six All-Star teams, five All-NBA teams (either first or
second) and finished in the top 10 four times in MVP voting. That is a really
strong resume for a guy who has been dinged up quite a bit on top of putting
up 21.4 ppg and 8.7 rpg. Still a no from me, but those numbers caused pause.

DOUG COLLINS

Absolutely one of the most interesting cases of looking at whole picture,
Collins doesn't have a single distinguishable aspect of his career that
warrants induction. He was a good college player at Illinois State, good
enough to be the No. 1 pick in the NBA Draft in the 1973. Collins was an
Olympian and hit the two free throws that led to the controversial finish of
the 1972 gold medal game against the Russians. Collins made four All-Star
teams in the NBA and his coaching career has been solid, if not borderline
great. After leading the Bulls to the Eastern Conference Finals, he took over
the Pistons, Washington Wizards and Philadelphia 76ers. In his first season at
those three stops, the win totals went up 18, 18 and 14 from the season before.
That's massive improvement. Plus, Collins is one of, if not the best
broadcasters of the last 20 years. So, if you look at each piece individually,
Collins isn't close. If you add them all up, he's an interesting candidate to
me. Still, a no however.

And we have one last category.

THANKS FOR A GREAT CAREER, BUT YOU'RE NOT GETTING IN

CHAUNCEY BILLUPS

His later runs with the Pistons and Denver Nuggets gets him closer
and his reputation as a leader and big-game player are commendable. However,
Billups didn't do enough over the entirety of his career.

SHAWN MARION

Four All-Star games, two All-NBA teams and over 16,000 points
make you think a little harder about him.